May 10 2021
Dummy
Portishead
Kinda like early lo-fi. Pretty vocal tone from female lead singer, but not really digging the sound. Pretty repetitive.
2
May 11 2021
Pornography
The Cure
Heavier than I expected, probably due to heavy bass. Exactly as dour as I expected. More rock than pop. Give another chance when in a worse mood.
3
May 12 2021
Risque
CHIC
Luscious late ā70s funk/R&B. Borders on disco (shudder), but that bass is oh so nice. Remember the name Bernard Edwards!
4
May 13 2021
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Hard to categorize. Old fashioned. Itās like gospel for disaffected atheists and agnostics. Nick Cave has amazing voice. Makes monotone sound interesting. GREAT lyrics. āI dunno what art is, but I know what I like. And I like this.ā
5
May 14 2021
Midnight Ride
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Stellar classic rock and roll. 12-bar blues. Great melodies, lyrics. Recognized a few songs, even though Iād not heard the name Paul Revere and the Raiders before. Right in my wheelhouse
5
May 17 2021
Tommy
The Who
Have heard many times. Some great songs, some not so much. Weird story makes me worry about Pete Townsend.
4
May 18 2021
White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
I bet Iād like this more if I had some of what they were smoking⦠repetitive hippie music. Plus Iām pretty sure track 2 is just the vocalist reading a smut story. Not really my cup of tea, but listenable/ignorable.
3
May 19 2021
The Slider
T. Rex
My existing opinion of T.Rex was that they were a Rolling Stones clone. I hate The Rolling Stones. Nothing about this album has changed my opinion. Itās capital-F Fine. Easy to ignore, inoffensive, but not terribly original or interesting. The Rolling Clones.
3
May 20 2021
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
Having heard the name Sonic Youth before, I expected a lot of dissonant jangly noise, and it IS that, but weirdly, I like it? I like it a lot. I think this would fall under the genre āShoegazeā, but itās vastly more enjoyable to my ear than Dinosaur Jr. I will probably add this to my regular rota.
5
May 21 2021
The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Tempting to call it proto-Benatar, but not really fair, as Benatar debuted just a year later. Jefferson Airplane, but 70s. Proto-Florence + the Machine, then. Hard rock, almost punk, but more elaborate phrasing and chording vs. power chords and manic strumming.
I didnāt like it yesterday when I had a migraine, but I quite like it today. Iām glad I gave it another shot.
3
May 24 2021
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Does anyone have better acoustic tone than Neil Young? Probably, but his is prettay prettay good. Fun folk rock live album. Great songwriting as always from Mr. Young.
4
May 25 2021
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
Dear god, the shimmery chorus pedal⦠inject that directly into my eardrums.
Cranberries-esque. I love it. Vocal melodies and harmonies are great. I bet the Uninvited guys love this album. Thereās a clear influence there.
āElizabeth, my dearā - cheeky āScarborough Fairā parody. But sheās still queen, you poor bastards! 32 years later!
First time I have rolled it back for a second listen. Thatās probably a good sign, lol
5
May 26 2021
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
4
May 27 2021
Vivid
Living Colour
It is ironic (not the right word⦠cosmically aesthetic?) that I got Living Color the day after Rage Against the Machine, since RAtM basically took āCult of Personalityā and āFunny Vibeā and ran with it. But here we are decades later, and these songs are still sadly relevant. Bit more funkay than RAtM, bit less serious. I can dig it. Now Iāll stop before I embarrass myself further.
4
May 28 2021
90
808 State
No.
Just⦠no.
Annoying techno dreck. Not my cuppa.
1
May 31 2021
Rubber Soul
Beatles
Oh man. My favorite. So many great songs. Guess I get a free day today, cause I been listening to this album since I was 12.
5
Jun 01 2021
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
Iconic prototype of early to mid 80s new wave sound. Listenable, just not my style. Rating reflects personal opinion, not overall quality. (I guess thatās true all the time, but especially here.)
2
Jun 02 2021
Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
Raw and emotional. Lyrically repugnant. Donāt love the vocals but subjectively appropriate for the style/message. I donāt like it, but I COULD under the right circumstances. Going middle of the road rating, but canāt fault the whole package.
3
Jun 03 2021
Phrenology
The Roots
I wouldāve hated this maybe as few as five years ago. Worse, Iād have dismissed it without giving it a chance. Iām different now. Now I give it a chance BECAUSE I wouldnāt have picked it.
Itās still not something Iād choose to listen to, but Iām more willing to meet it on its own terms, to try to examine it and understand it and respect it. Iāll give myself the patronizing white guy pat on the shoulder here, even though I can recognize that perhaps Iām still a bit racist, just in a different way. Iām more like the condescending āliberalā white family in āGet Outā. Oh well, keep trying to grow and improve, right?
Interesting mix of pop-rock and rap. Some of these songs speak to me like Childish Gambino last summer. Bears further examination.
3
Jun 04 2021
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
Leonard Cohen-ish, Perry Como-ish, Roy Rogers-ish, lounge singer-ish. That probably sounds worse than I mean it to. Itās not sleazy or anything, just kinda beige. Bland. Nondescript. Perfectly inoffensive, but challenges the listener not at all.
Still, thereās something comforting about it, like eating a cupcake or snuggling a teddy bear or slipping on your favorite pajamas and staying in bed all day. Thereās value in that.
Also, holy crap! This album is from 2005! I wouldāve guessed 1958.
3
Jun 07 2021
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
Luscious ā70s Soul R&B. Maybe not as groundbreaking as āWhatās Going On?ā, but comforting and sexy. Gayeās vocals stand out, of course, but also superlative bass work from Jamerson and Felder, plus tasty 70s orchestra, not quite āWall of Soundā levels, but fat and satisfying.
4
Jun 08 2021
Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
Sort of a more superficially optimistic The Cure⦠vocalist sounds incredibly familiar, although Iāve never *consciously* listened to the Bunnymen before. Iāve probably heard a song but didnāt know it was them. Or some other vocalist sounding like him.
I like this. Itās easy to listen to, while still being interesting.
4
Jun 09 2021
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
What even is this? Is it folk? Pop? Rock?
I finally figured it out when I got to track 5, āChicken Bonesā⦠John Grant is They Might Be Giants. Or close enough.
Fan-blanking-tactic lyrics. Fun music. Great vocals. Iāll be spinning this one again.
5
Jun 11 2021
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
First impression is soothing lo-fi-ish R&B, very listenable, but I suspect I didnāt give it the attention it deserves yesterday, especially lyrically. Worthy of another listen when Iām not so distracted. Musically though, very nice.
4
Jun 14 2021
Purple Rain
Prince
Tremendous. Triumphant. Transcendent. Fourth Tr word.
Iāve never listened to this full album as the artist intended it. I have now remedied that frankly unconscionable failing. This is the sort of thing I signed up for with this challenge.
5
Jun 15 2021
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
Itās like the Laās meets the Clash, with a little Neil Young for āflavourā. I kinda dig it.
Itās the accent throwing me off. Like itās just country/folk, but I typically imagine those genres as Americana. But this guy is CLEARLY from Essex, and it sounds weirdly dissonant. Whether thatās fair or not, I dunno, āItās just how I feelā, as Mike Birbiglia might say.
But itās not bad, not at all. Songs are melodic and would sound amazing sung drunkenly in a large crowd pissed on pints.
4
Jun 16 2021
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
Whatās my problem with Lenny Kravitzās voice? Why wonāt I give him the time of day? Heās objectively talented. He write soulful, funky music? So whatās my deal?
No idea. But Iām definitely the one with the problem. I must be, right? Lenny is beloved.
2 stars, but donāt count it. Read another review. This one is broken.
2
Jun 17 2021
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday is a little too glissando for me, generally, but Ellaā¦
Ellaā¦
Ms. Fitzgerald always gets it right for me. Stunning. 5 stars every single day and twice on Sundays. Thank you maāam.
Soulful and warm, or playful and coquettish, Ella nails it. Not to mention a natural gift for rhythm and scat-singing (she basically invented it. Thatās reductive perhaps, but it may as well be true)
5
Jun 18 2021
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
Hippie drum circle bullshit. I think I could like it under different circumstances, but not today.
1
Jun 21 2021
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
Competent at what it does, only what it does is tacky synth-pop-ājazzā. Iāve never heard the name Donald Fagen before, but Iāve heard many of these songs before, on the intercom at CVS.
HARD pass.
1
Jun 22 2021
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
Chipper pop rock, definitely of its time. Strings and keyboards vs. guitar rock gives it a real 70s vibe. Even disco-ish, I must admit, although dismissing it out of hand for that is short sighted. Thereās definitely a lot more going on here than that statement gives it credit for. Besides, itās right there in the name: Electric Light *Orchestra*. You canāt accuse them of false advertising.
I like this, although a lot of criticisms would be justified, and I wouldnāt have an answer for them⦠except to say that this album contains āMr. Blue Skyā, which is a song that never once in my life has failed to put me in a good mood. For that song alone, 5 stars.
5
Jun 23 2021
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
Thereās a weird Nick Cave/Tom Waits/even Chris Isaak quality to this but Iām not sure I like it. I think I will have to roll it again to figure it out. But I also kinda donāt want to, first impressions being what they are. Dunno. An enigma. Or an off day for me.
Note to self: try it again someday.
3
Jun 24 2021
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
Dunno what exactly I expected, but this isnāt it. More plain old straight up rock and roll than I expected. Different vocal tone versus the plaintive, apprehensive timbre I associated with Elvis Costello previously.
All of this is to say that I like it very much. I have a new appreciation for Costello.
Also, I never before realized how much of an influence Costello is on John Flansberg of They Might Be Giants. I feel like an idiot.
4
Jun 25 2021
Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
Perfectly fine, but it all kinda runs together. Nothing really stands out. I think āLicense to Illā is better.
3
Jun 28 2021
Revolver
Beatles
Naturally, very familiar with this one as well already. Between āRubber Soulā and āRevolverā, my dad educated me about the Beatles in my early teens. As such, both have special places in my heart, though if I had to choose between the two, Iād lean āRubber Soulā. That is in no way any sort of indictment on āRevolverā. This album is also a stone-cold classic.
5
Jun 29 2021
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
Shoegazey. Dour. Noisy. Not really enjoying this.
1
Jun 30 2021
Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
Vulgar, both musically and lyrically speaking. Normally Iād be kinda into that, but Iām not feeling it today. Middle of the road for potential enjoyment
3
Jul 01 2021
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
I donāt like The Rolling Stones⦠donāt like Jagger, songs are too simplistic, vastly overrated. Beatles > Stones, always.
That said, thereās some nice album tracks here. I might have to consider that itās just their hits Iām not a fan of. āNo Expectationsā and āDear Doctorā are perfectly fine songs. Hmm⦠Deserves further examination.
4
Jul 02 2021
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
I think itās funny that thereās typically little to no overlap between fans of rap and fans of heavy metal. Both feature mostly spoken/shouted vocals, sick beats, and percussive instrumentation from non-percussion instruments.
In Panteraās case, the crunchy guitar acts like a second drum kit driving the rhythm. Lead singer is not really singing, exactly⦠but itās not necessary that he do so in order to get the point across.
Iām sorta meh about this. Itās kinda boring, IMO⦠even though I should be energized by the RAWKK!!!!1!! I guess because Iāve heard it all a hundred times, done in more interesting ways. But I should give credit where itās due; some of my favorite bands wouldnāt exist without the influence of early metal bands like Pantera. I was barely sentient in ā92, but there canāt have been many bands like this before then. Credit for defining the genre, but I donāt love it.
2
Jul 05 2021
The Blueprint
JAY Z
I try to give music the benefit of the doubt, and remember itās a product of its time. But I was alive in 2001 when this album came out, and some of this stuff was pretty objectionable even back then. In fact, that might have been the point⦠to challenge societal mores.
Thatās great and all, but āGirls Girls Girlsā is pretty fucking racist and misogynist. Maybe this is my privilege speaking, but thereās a lot here that I find repellent, but probably was pretty common back then. (Maybe it even still is, I donāt listen to a lot of rap.)
I guess I was right, though. I still have preconceptions, and I never liked this style of rap, and Iām not likely to start now. Anything I say after that is likely to come off as racist/classist, and I donāt want to give people the wrong idea, so Iāll stop there.
That ship might have already sailed. Alas.
1
Jul 06 2021
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
Like Nick Drake, if Rivers Cuomo sang vocals. Hippie bullshit, but I kinda like it. Itās lush and full and melodic and dreamy. Worth another listen or three, even if the songs are pretty repetitive.
4
Jul 07 2021
You Are The Quarry
Morrissey
Ugh. Somebody get this guy some Zoloft or something⦠sad sack singer writing sad sack songs. And while I appreciate the spirit behind āAmerica is Not the Worldā (a song sadly MORE relevant now than in 2004), it doesnāt mean I like listening to it. Pretentious and overwrought. Pass.
1
Jul 08 2021
Skylarking
XTC
New wavey and very British. Itās okay.
3
Jul 09 2021
Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney
Another chick punk band. Canāt argue with the aesthetic, love the retro touches/Danelectros. But this vocalist is grating my last nerve. Sheās too glissando. Clean it up a bit and call me back.
And in doing so, rob Sleater-Kinney of everything that makes them unique. Maybe donāt do that just to impress one āfanā. Keep rocking, ladies, youāre doing just fine. Iāll be over by the bar, sulking.
3
Jul 12 2021
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
I often talk about the Beatles like theyāre two different bands: the early stuff like āHard Dayās Nightā and āHelpā, where they sing about love between two people; and the shift right around āRubber Soul/Revolverā where they start singing about Love, between ALL people. And the early stuff is fine, but the later stuff is truly iconic and world changing.
What Iām getting at here is, this album is Buddy Hollyās āearly stuffā, where heās singing about a boy and a girl, and what boys and girls do. And itās great, it really is. In fact, it inspired the early Beatles IMMENSELY.
But, man! If only Buddy Holly had lived long enough to get to his āworld-changingā period⦠maybe there wouldnāt even BE a Beatles, at least, not like we think of them today. Buddy had a head start, after all. Tragic loss.
Oh well, thereās some great fun songs on here. āOh Boyā and āThatāll Be the Dayā, in particular.
4